A 41-year-old Kingsway man was warned today to expect jail after he admitted a £66,000 VAT fraud.

Gloucester Crown Court was told that it is not the first such offence committed by Neil Hardy, of Mount Pleasant, Kingsway.

He pleaded guilty to fraudulently evading VAT between January 2014 and February 2015 by submitting returns on behalf of Universal Protective Coating Systems containing false figures and reclaiming £66,413.

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Judge Jamie Tabor QC commented "He was in trouble in January 2015 for VAT offences.

"This is quite a lot of money and he is in danger of going to prison," he said.

The judge ordered a probation service pre sentence report on Hardy, saying: "He is obviously suitable for unpaid work because he has done it before but I don't want him to think that is the likely outcome.